Indian Wildlife Club Forum

The Tiger Task Force has submitted its report. The report brings out some glaring facts.

"In the last 30 years, only 80-odd villages have been relocated from all 28 reserves. There are another 1,500 existing inside, of which 250 are within core areas of tiger reserves, which must be relocated. Relocating them will cost Rs 660 crore at the minimum, in terms of the meager relocation package government works with today, and without accounting for land costs. If this is taken into account, then the estimated cost is Rs 11,000 crore.

What is suggested is a time-bound programme to identify those villages that must be relocated because of they are located inside crucial tiger habitats. It is also suggested that, unlike the past, this relocation must be done speedily and sensitively, with careful consideration of the needs of people."

The chair person also says that if we do not make peace with the communities who share the tigers’ home, we will lose the war of conservation tiger by tiger. Identifying the cause for a crisis situation is certainly the first step towards a solution.

Let us think solutions now! How can we have the communities become stakeholders in tourism for example? Any suggestions?

Ankur had sent an email to us seeking help to implement his ideas. We thought throwing open the subject in our open blog forum will bring in some valuable comments.

You can also contact Ankur at his email id damdim.estate@sify.com.

Hi!

I am an Executive with a multi national Tea Company posted in the plantations. My estate is at the forefrunt of Man-Elephant conflict. Wild heards regularly stray into human habitation causing damage to life and property. The local popyulation and even the forest department resort to very cruel means to drive away the elephants.

I believe that this problem is related to the enfringment of humans into the habitat of elephants and not the oter way round.

I have devised methods to control the wild heards and even loners without cousing any harm to the animals. Unfortunately I am not getting a positive response from either the Authorities or the local population to test and implement my proposals.

I shall be obliged for your assistance in the subject.

Regards
Ankur Chaturvedi
Sr Assistant Manager
Tata Tea Ltd.
Dam Dim Tea Estate
PO- Dam Dim Jalpaiguri
WB- 735209
Phone- 03562-221305(O) 03562-221294(R) +919434184843(MOB)

Could someone tell me about the kind of flora and fauna there is around the area covered by mangroves around the Thane Creek? The area I refer to is that which can be seen as one passes by in a local train on the central line. It begins after Dombivli and stretches from there up to the Mumbra Parsik Tunnel.

Has anyone ever surveyed the area or documented the wildlife and plant life therein? This area has been diminishing rapidly over the last few years and 'development' seems to be happening here. I hope we don't lose this beautiful stretch to 'development'.

Thanks, Oliver

There is a question in "Any Other" from Mr. Jason from USA.  Mr. Jason, Tigers and Lions are still in India, but they do not occupy the same forest ranges.

The Tiger inhabits well covered grassland forests in the rainy forests. The Lion on the other hand inhabits a small pocket in India in Gir- Gujarath. These are scrub jungles, as the bush country in Africa. So there is no conflict between the two great cats in their natural environment. However talking about conflicts,sometimes by mistake a tiger and a lion have been put into the same moated enclosures and the tiger has always come out the victor.  Some zoos in India have witnessed this. Now for the sports arenas-there are no recorded instances of any tiger -lion confrontations for spectator entertainment. 

Lastly the Tiger and the Lion are both revered equally in Hindhu Mythology as the Steeds of Durga Matha - the Godess.  Does this satisfy your query are do you want to know more. Please feel free to ask.

Actually, I am fascinated to know that nature's two top cats, once lived in the same country.  (As an American I am also impressed with the widlife heritage of India.)   Anways, according to books I have read, these cats once lived even in the same region.  Thus, I have some questions I am hoping can be answered.

Which species lived in India first? Tigers? Or Lions?  Also, does anyone know if there were any conflicts between these two top predators?  Did one moving into the territory of India cause problems for the other species?  Did past empires of various Indian cultures have them fight each other like in Roman pit fights?  Which cat is viewed as the more dominant of the two in your culture? Or as equals?  Did these species simply avoid each other? If they did have conflicts naturally or man made, who was more often the victor? Has it been so long since the two once lived in the same natural areas that widlife officials won't put them in the same parks for fear of them conflicting violently?

I hope someone knows the answers to these questions.  I also, sincerely, hope that your nation as well as mine(USA) work to save the last remaining wildlife areas all around the globe. I hope they both can be saved. I fear after your cats are poached, they will come after our big cat, the Cougar (bigger than leopards, but much smaller than tigers and Lions).  Our bears are already being poached in California for the markets of East Asian countries.

If anyone has questions about american animals I will do my best to answer them. Thank you, Jason

IN THE TROPIC LEVEL THE CREATURES HAVING NO PREDATORS ARE VULTURES, EAGLES, TIGERS, LIONS ETC. BUT IN RECENT DAYS A SEPERATE POWERFUL NEW ORDER OF PREDATORS (CRUELVORES) EVOLVED, NO NEED TO THINK, YES IT IS NON OTHER THAN WE, HUMANS.

DUE TO IRREGULAR DUTIES AND SHAMEFULL ACTIVITIES OF MANY WILD LIFE OFFICIALS THE POPULATION OF TIGERS, LEPOARDS AND OTHER ANIMALS HAVE GONE INTO TERRIBLE EXTINCTION IN RECENT YEARS. UNLESS GOVERNMENT IISSUES SEVERE POSES ON POACHERS AND UGLY OFFICIALS, INDIA IS GOING TO LOSE ITS VALUBLE WEALTH WHICH CAN NOT BE RETURNED AGAIN BY NONE OF US.

shaldavya.K (India)